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People with dermatological conditions such as acne and rosacea often find themselves caught between two fires. On the one hand, there are aggressive calls to urgently consult a doctor and make treatment the main priority in life, sparing no time and money; on the other hand, there are deliberately impossible advice to accept and love yourself in any condition. How to find balance? The psychologist tells how to properly treat the characteristics of your skin.
What role does skin condition play?
We live in an era of the cult of appearance, reminds psychologist Alena Belyaeva. The values transmitted in the media, advertising, and fashion industry claim that youth and beauty are the key to success, a valuable capital that helps to get what you want. But is this really so?
From an evolutionary perspective, human physical characteristics are designed to optimize reproductive success. Scientist Daniel Jarosz explains in the journal Behavioral Sciences that when determining how attractive someone is, the brain uses at least three modules that are responsible for identifying, interpreting, and evaluating appearance. In this case, the key elements that are taken into account when making a decision are:
age and health status,
symmetry, proportions of face and body,
facial skin condition.
Why these specific characteristics? The thing is that they quite accurately reflect “reproductive fitness,” that is, the ability to produce healthy offspring. Although in the modern world people have learned to change their appearance with the help of cosmetics, plastic surgery and clothing style, still, as a rule, we can guess that these are not congenital, but acquired features.
How acne and rosacea affect your life
“The appearance of acne and rosacea has every chance of negatively affecting self-esteem and causing a whole range of unpleasant feelings,” says Alena Belyaeva. These diseases can lead to delayed life syndrome, for example:
“I’ll go on a date sometime later, when my face is beautiful,”
“I’ll postpone the interview until better times,”
“I don’t really want to go to a family holiday looking like this.”
This avoidant behavior will only worsen an already unpleasant condition, undermine self-confidence and can even lead to depression.
How to treat skin characteristics
Acne and rosacea not only negatively affect your emotional state, but also cause pain, so most people still consult a doctor or treat themselves.
However, this path can take years, and no one is immune from exacerbation, deterioration or relapse of the disease. So it is extremely important for patients to develop the right attitude towards the problem: to find a balance between the desire to achieve ideal skin and acceptance of its imperfections. The psychologist explains the consequences of going to one extreme or the other.
Chasing clear skin?
“The desire for an ideal appearance is a sure path to neurosis,” notes the psychologist. A person begins to focus on the smallest imperfections and subconsciously consider them the cause of his failures: “Now, if I had a body corresponding to the model parameters and perfect skin, I would get the job I wanted, would be in a relationship with the partner of my dreams, would become the life of the party "
Somatization, that is, the transfer of psychological problems to our body, creates deliberately false cause-and-effect relationships.
Practicing radical acceptance?
Skin problems signal that our body currently needs help. Therefore, you should not delay treatment, expecting that everything will go away on its own, or engage in self-deception, convincing yourself that acne or rosacea does not bother you in any way. The sooner you can start taking action, the faster the desired result will be obtained.
“The feeling that we are in control of the situation is very important for our psyche. Thus, analyzing your lifestyle, identifying factors that provoke or aggravate the disease, and timely contacting a doctor will help you develop a treatment and prevention plan that you will follow in the near future,” explains Alena Belyaeva.
Realizing that every day you are taking another step towards solving a problem will reduce the level of stress and discomfort: “I am already taking concrete measures, I am already succeeding, I am one step closer to the goal.” And it is very important to praise yourself for your efforts, encourage and support in every possible way, without devaluing what has already been done and what you already have.
How to deal with acne and rosacea without harm to the psyche
The psychologist shares ten recommendations that will help you survive this difficult period.
1. Analyze and adjust the level of stress in your life
Maintain a balance in the distribution of time between work/study and rest, have less contact with people who cause unpleasant emotions.
2. Use emotional relaxation techniques
Mental body scan. Lie down on the floor and begin to mentally scan your body from head to toe, paying attention to each area and relaxing it in turn. When you reach the feet, return to the head and repeat the scanning and relaxation.
Progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson. While lying down, quickly and as strongly as possible tense your body muscles, holding your breath. Then relax and imagine how the tension goes away as you exhale. Try to focus on the feeling of relaxation and heaviness when your body is in a comfortable state.
Exercise “Comfortable place”. Imagine yourself in a place where you feel as comfortable, comfortable and calm as possible. Imagine what you could do in this place, come up with the plot of a “movie” that will unfold on your “inner movie screen”. Think about it until you feel relaxed and calm.
3. Use breathing techniques
Square breathing. 4 counts - inhale, 4 counts - pause, 4 counts - exhale, 4 counts - pause. Continue breathing according to this pattern for 5–10 minutes.
Diaphragmatic breathing. Lie on your back with your knees bent or sit on a chair. Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Take a slow, deep breath through your nose. The hand on the chest lies motionless, and the hand on the stomach at this time rises along with the breath. Exhale slowly through pursed lips. Keep your face relaxed while breathing. Inhale and exhale on a count to make sure you breathe slowly. Focus on the sound of your breathing. Continue for 5-10 minutes.
Breathing with an extended exhalation. 4 counts - deep breath, 8 counts - slow exhalation. You can exhale through your mouth and mentally imagine how the air passes through your entire body from head to feet and leaves it. Breathe in this rhythm for 5–10 minutes.
4. Maintain a sleep and rest schedule
Without quality sleep at night, the nervous system and body cells will not recover, which will certainly affect your well-being the next day.
5. Express your emotions
It happens that destructive attitudes and rules imposed from childhood prevent us from expressing our feelings openly:
"don't cry, you're a boy"
“Be quiet, you’ll pass for smart,”
"silence is gold".
Suppressed anger and resentment can cause auto-aggression, psychosomatics, which can also include skin problems, which is why it is so important to learn to express your emotions, talk about your feelings (for example, using “I-messages”).
6. Stop comparing yourself to bloggers
Probably everyone is familiar with the feeling of slight dissatisfaction when looking at themselves in the mirror. Social media does a good job of adding fuel to the fire by showcasing perfect people in perfect settings. And then an unpleasant feeling may arise: “Something is wrong with me.”
Remember, creating “perfect” content is their job, not a reflection of reality. Most people have various nuances in their appearance that they have learned to competently present or skillfully hide.
If your feed is formed taking into account your interests, where professionals in their field, people you admire, friends and family are presented, your emotional state will be much more stable.
7. Focus on what you love about yourself
And as often as possible, pay attention to these traits of yours, rather than looking for flaws. Our emotional state also depends on the focus of attention.
8. Take care of your body
Find something that brings you pleasure: massage, dancing, swimming, fitness, walking, a relaxing bath... This will make you feel better in your body.
9. See a dermatologist
Follow your doctor's recommendations regarding treatment, prevention, and skin care. For example, at home you can use the drug "Metrogyl® A" - to fight acne - or "Metrogyl® gel" - to treat rosacea. They contain metronidazole, which relieves inflammation and has antimicrobial and antiprotozoal effects. Metrogyl® A gel also contains adapalene, a standard acne treatment that acts directly on the sebaceous glands, reducing breakouts.
The gel texture is non-staining, non-greasy and non-sticky, making it suitable for use under makeup. Both products can be bought in pharmacies, ordered online and on marketplaces, since Metrogyl® gel and Metrogyl® A do not require a prescription.
10. Work with a psychologist
Very often, communication difficulties and problems with self-esteem and self-perception extend from childhood. Postponing their decision will only aggravate an already difficult situation, and will not lead to the desired result.
Alena Belyaeva - psychologist, presenter of trainings and seminars
There are contraindications. You must read the instructions for use or consult a specialistФото: Shutterstock/Fotodom.ru
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